fleabane 
fleabane (fle'ban), . One of several compos- 
ite plants, so called from their supposed power 
of destroying or driving away fleas. The com- 
mon fleahanr "t Kn^]:iinl is lintta oyMnteriao, or some- 
times /. Pulimria. and the blue fleahnne is Erigerunacrii. 
In the United states the common fleabane is Erir/eron 
philadelphicut, the daisy-fleabane is E. strigosta or E. an- 
imus, and the marsh-tieabane is Plucked camphorata. In 
Jamaica the name is given to Vernnnia arlwrescens. 
flea-beetle (fle'be"tl), n. The common name 
of the saltatorial chrysomelids, or those species 
of leaf -beetles which are capable of leaping by 
means of their thickened hind thighs. There are 
very many of them, mostly of small size. One of the com- 
monest in the United States is the cucumber tlea-l>eetle t 
2262 
lice feed on the leaves or tender steins of various plants. 
A few species are also ejilk-d iiitiltrutlccrn. To these belongs 
the genus Pachypsylla, (Kile) ), \\ hieh is distinguished from 
Grape-rine Flea-beetle (Haltica chalybea}. 
a, leaf infested with larvie ; 6, larva ; c, cocoon ; if, beetle. 
( Lines show natural sizes. ) 
Haltica or Crepidodera cncim(Harris), which is black, 
hairy, with the thorax punctate ami transversely impress- 
ed at the base, the wing-covers punctato-striate, and the 
aiiteiimcftiid legs partly yellow. Another is the striped flea- 
beetle, Phyllotreta m'ttala (Fabricius), which is metallic 
black, the thorax without impression, the elytra not punc- 
tured in rows, but with two sinuous yellow stripes. Its 
larva injures cabbages by mining in the leaves. Haltica. 
chaliibea is the grape-vine flea-beetle. 
Quite a number of Chrysomelidrc have the hind femora 
much thickened, enabling them to jump. Some of the 
smaller species jump with great activity, and on that ac- 
count have l>een termed flea-beetles. 
Stand. \at. Hit!., II. 315. 
fleabite (fle'bit), n. 1. The bite of a flea, or the 
red spot caused by thebite. 2. A trifling wound 
or pain, like that of the bite of a flea ; a slight in- 
convenience or discomfort; a thing of no mo- 
ment. 
A gout, a cholick, . . . are but Jleabites to the pains of 
the soul. Harvey. 
3. As much as a flea can bite ; a relatively very 
small or insignificant quantity. [Humorous.] 
The property was in truth but a flea-bite to him [the 
giver]. He hoped the Macruadh would live long to enjoy 
it. Geo. UlacDonald, What's Mine's Mine, p. 306. 
fleabiting (fle'bi'ting), n. Same as fleabite. 
Their miseries are but nea-bitinffs to thine. 
Burton, Anat. of MeL, p. 343. 
fleabitten (fle'bif'n), a. I. Bitten by a flea; 
infested with fleas. 
Fleabitten synod, an assembly brew'd 
Of clerks and elders ana. like the rude 
Chaos of presbyt'ry, where laymen guide, 
With the tame woolpack clergy by their side. 
Cleaveland. 
2. Having small reddish spots or lines upon a 
lighter ground : applied to the color of horses, 
flea-glass (fle'glas), n. An early simple form 
of microscope, consisting of a single-glass lens, 
in shape a segment of a sphere of small diam- 
eter. This lens was fastened into a wooden tube, which 
bore at its lower end, in the focus of the lens, a small glass 
plate, on which a crushed flea, a gnat, a fly's leg, or a like 
object was fixed. Behrens. 
fleak't, n. An obsolete variant of flake 1 . 
fleakg or threads of hemp and flax. 
Dr. II. More, Antidote against Atheism. 
fleak 2 , n. A variant of /Zafre 2 . 
fleaking (fle'king), . [< fieatft, = flake?, a hur- 
dle, etc., + -in// 1 .] A light covering of reeds, 
over which the main covering is laid in thatch- 
ing houses. [Local, Great Britain.] 
flea-louse (fle'lous), n. The popular name of 
the homopterous insects of the family Psylli- 
dce, resembling in general appearance the 
aphides or true plant-lice, but distinguished 
by the difference in the fore wings, which have 
a distinct marginal vein, in the larval state the flea- 
Bramble Flea-louse ( Trioxa trfpunctata ). 
{ Cross shows natural size. ) 
Psylla proper by the very convex head, oval frontal lobes, 
and short antennae. Pachypsylla ccltidis-niamma infests 
the hackberry (Celti*), the larvie producing bml-like galls 
on two-year-old twigs. Another genus is Trioza. The flea- 
lice are also called jumping plant-lice, from their habit of 
leaping. 
fleam 1 (flem), n. [Early mod. E. and dial, also 
flem; < OF. flieme, F. flamme = Pr. flecmc = 
Sp. fleme = Pg. flame = It. dial, fiama = D. 
rlijm = OHG. fliotuma, MHG. vlieten, vliete, G. 
fliete = D&n.flitte, a fleam (G. also flame, < F. 
flamme), < LL. flebotomus, phlebotomus, < Gr. 
0/U/3oT<fy/ov, a lancet, < <j>teij>(6fa/)-), vein, + rf/i- 
>>v,cut: see phlebotomy. W. /Bairn is from E.] 
1. In surg. and farriery, a sharp instrument 
for lancing the gums or for opening veins in 
bloodletting; a lancet; in the most restricted 
sense, a form of spring-lancet. 
He liked horses well enough, but preferred their hides 
to their hoofs; and became more skilful with the fleam 
than the butteris. 5. Jvdd, Margaret, i. 11. 
2. In her., a bearing thought by some to rep- 
resent the farriers' lancet, but more probably 
a builders' cramp of iron, whence often called 
crampon. 
fleam 2 t, [Also flem, fleam, flegme; < OF. 
flemme, F. flegme, < ML. phlegma, flegma, < Gr. 
foeyfia, phlegm: see phlegm, the present spell- 
ing.] Same as phlegm. 
Alas, I am too honest for this age. 
Too full olfleame and heavy steddinesse. 
Marxton and Webster, Malcontent, ii. 5. 
Fleam hath the predominancy in his [the Sultan's] com- 
plexion. Sandyx, Travailes, p. 57. 
fleam 3 (flem), n. [< ME. fleme, flume, < OF. 
flem, flum, flun, etc., < L. flumen, river : see 
flume.] If. A river: a stream. 2. A water- 
course; a trench or drain. [Prov. Eng.] 
fleam-tooth (flem'toth), . A saw-tooth shaped 
like an isosceles triangle, used in cross-cut 
saws ; a peg-tooth. 
fleamyt (flrmi), a. [< fleam* + -y*.~] Phleg- 
matic. 
'Tis naught 
But foamie bubling of t,fleamie brain. 
Maritrm, Antonio and Mellida, II., ii. 3. 
fleart, ' and n. See fleer*. 
fleaseed (fle'sed), w. Same &sfleawort, 2. 
fleasht, An obsolete form of flesh. 
fleat (net), n. Same naflefi. 
fleawort (fle'wert), n. [< ME. flewort, < AS. 
flediryrt, < fledh, fled, flea, + wyrt, wort 1 .] 1. 
The Inula Conyza, so called from its property of 
keeping off fleas. 2. The Plantago Psyllium, 
from the shape of its seeds. Also fleaseed. 
The dropsie-hreeding, sorrow-bringing Psylly, 
Heer called Flea-Wurt. 
Sylvester, tr. of Du Bartas's Weeks, ii., The Furies. 
flebilet, " [< L. flebilis, weeping, tearful, < flere, 
weep : see/ee&fe, a doublet oiflebile.'] Tearful ; 
lacrymose. 
Alackaday ! a flebile style this upon a mournful occa- 
sion. Roger North, Examen, p. 49. 
fiecchet, " * An obsolete form offletch*. 
fleccheret, A Middle English form offletcher. 
fleche (flash), n. [F., an arrow: see fletclfi.'] 
1. In fort., the most simple kind of field-work, 
usually constructed at the foot of a glacis, con- 
sisting of two faces forming a salient angle 
pointing outward from the position taken. 2. 
In arch., a spire; particularly, a slender spire 
rising from the intersection of the nave and 
transepts of a cathedral or large church. 
I may name the soaring flectie of Amiens as an excep- 
tion to E. L. O.'s dictum (too true in general) that all cen- 
tral timber steeples have perished. 
JV. and Q., 7th ser., IV. 456. 
3. In decorative art, an object resembling a spire, 
especially the representation of a spire in me- 
dieval carving or metal art-work. S. E. Spe- 
cial Exhib. Catalogue, 1862. 
fleck 1 (flek), . [< ME. "flekk (only in the verb), 
< Icel. flekkr, a fleck, spot, = Sw.^cA- = ODan. 
flection 
fleck, flek, flekkf, flik, a spot, stain, place, = D. 
rlil:. a spot, stain, blemish, = MLG. vlecke = 
OHG. flee, fleccho, MHG. r/<r, r/nV.r, G. fleck, 
a spot, stain, place, piece, patch, shred, etc. 
Prob. connected with Jlii'k*, q. v.] 1. A spot ; 
a streak ; a splash ; a stain. 
Life is dash'd with flecks of sin. 
Tennyson, In Memoriam, Hi. 
Spenser . . . lifts everything, not beyond recognition. 
but to an ideal distance where no mortal . . . jleck is 
visible. Lowell, Among my Books, 2d ser., p. 188. 
Specifically 2. In entom., an irregular and 
generally elongate dot of color : applied espe- 
cially to such dots on the wings of butterflies 
and moths. 
fleck 1 (flek), v. t. [< ME. flecken, flckken, < Icel. 
Jlt'kka = Dan. flwkke = Sw. flacka, fldka = D. 
rl<-l;l;en, spot, stain, = G. flecken, spot, stain, put 
on a piece, patch; from the noun.] To spot; 
streak or stripe ; dapple. Also flecker. 
Our pikes stand to receive you like a wood, 
We'll jleck our white steeds in your Christian blood. 
Hi-innuid, Four Apprentices of London. 
And straight the sun vtxs flecked with bars 
Heaven's mother send us grace ! 
As if through a dungeon-grate he peered 
With broad and burning face. 
Coleridge, Ancient Mariner, ill. 
The more distant ridges faded into a dull indigo hue, 
flecked with patches of ghastly whit*. 
B. Taylor, Northern Travel, p. 44. 
fleck 2 (flek), n. [Another form of flake*-, in- 
fluenced in form bjfleckl, a spot.] A flake; a 
lock. 
Andyledhiof wool stick to their withered lips. 
Theo. Martin, tr. of Catullus. 
fleck 3 (flek), n. A dialectal form of flitch. 
flecked (flek'ed or flekt), p. a. 1. Splashed; 
spotted; speckled; in entom., marked with 
flecks or little irregular dots and streaks. 
He was of foom al flekked as a pye. 
Chaucer, Prol. to Canon's Yeoman's Tale, 1. 12. 
Invisible in flecked sky, 
The lark sent down her revelry. 
Scott, L. of the L. ,111. 2. 
2f. Drunk. 
They sweare, and curse, and drinke till they befleckt. 
Mir. /or Magi., p. 292. 
flecker 1 (flek'er), v. t. [Freq. of fleck*, v. t.~\ 
Same as fleck*-. 
How she looked forward to that evening walk in the 
still, fleckered shade of the hollows ! 
George Eliot, Mill on the Floss, v. 3. 
flecker 2 ! (flek'er), ?. t. Same as flicker*. 
fleckiness (flek'i-nes), n. Spottiness ; the qual- 
ity or state of being flecked or speckled. 
A singular grain of fleckinesg always observable on the 
surface of Damascus blades. Ure, Diet., II. 6. 
fleckless (flek'les), a. [< fleck* + -less.'] I. 
Spotless; stainless. 
Succory keeping summer long its trust 
Of heaven-blue fieckless from the eddying dust. 
Lowell, To G. W. Curtis. 
2. Blameless; innocent. 
My conscience will not count me fleckless. 
Tennyson, Princess, Ii. 
flecnodal (flek'no-dal), . [< flecnode + -al.] 
Pertaining to a flecnode Flecnodal curve, a 
curve drawn upon a surface the locus of all the points at 
each of which the curve of intersection of the surface by its 
tangent plane at that point has a flecnode. The flecnodal 
curve of a surface of the nth order is of the (112 24n)th 
order. Flecnodal plane, a tangent plane to a surface, 
cutting the latter in a section having a flecnode at the point 
of tangency. 
flecnode (flek'nod), n. [Irreg. < L. flec(tere), 
bend, + nodus, node.] A node of a curve which 
is a point of inflection of one of the branches 
of the curve. 
flectant (flek'tant), a. [< OF. flectant, ppr. of 
flectir, < L. fleciere, bend : see flex*, fletclft. ] In 
her., same as flexed. 
fleeted (flek'ted), a. [< L. flectere, bend (see 
flex*), + -ed*. Cf. deflect, inflect, reflect.'] In 
her., same as flexed Fleeted and reflected, bowed 
or bent in a serpentine form, like the letter S. 
flection, flexion (flek'shon), n. [=F.flexion = 
Sp. flexion = Pg. flexao = li. flessione, < L. flex- 
io(n-), a bending, turning, a modulation, inflec- 
tion (of the voice), < flexus, pp. of flectere, bend : 
see flex*. The spelling flection, like inflection, 
etc., and connection, etc., is etymologically in- 
correct, but it is rather more common. ] 1 . The 
act of bending. 2. A bending; a part bent; a 
curve. 
Of a sinuous pipe that may have some four .tenons trial 
would be made. Bacon, Nat. Hist. 
3. A turn; a cast; a motion or glance. 
Pity causeth some tears, and a flexion or cast of the eye 
aside. Bacon, Nat. Hist. 
